Red Dress Day

"Red has more personal associations than any other color. Recognized as a stimulant, red is inherently exciting and the amount of red is directly related to the level of energy perceived. Red draws attention and a keen use of red as an accent can immediately focus attention on a particular element." ~ From "Sensational Color"

My 15 year old daughter has a major complaint about my wardrobe. She'll walk into my closet and look around, shaking her head and grumbling to herself, as she's devising an outfit for me to wear to an event. "What exactly do you have against COLOR, Mom?", she'll ask, "Everything in here is brown, gray and black!". Her thoughts aren't off base. I have an unreasonable fear of color in my clothing. Every time I try to wear something outside of my comfort area, I find myself feeling uncentered, lacking focus and nervous. In my limited palate of clothing, navy blue is my color of reckless abandon. My mother and my daughter are both colorful...in wardrobe and personality. They love to joke that they are monkeys; attracted to bright, shiny objects. My mother looks amazing in turquoise and my daughter shines in vivid purple. In their world of zest and spice in the use of color, I'm afraid that I'm the drab pigeon to their peacocks. I can appreciate how lovely and vibrant they both look....but when dressing myself, I'm far more likely to shrug off those same colors, despite the fact that we all have the same coloring.

When I first read about "The Red Dress Project" a few years ago, I was enchanted. What a delightful idea about spreading the message of women's risks for heart disease! This program has grown from one fashion show to a global awareness event. Because heart disease kills more women every year than any other cause, I was intrigued. As a survivor of women's cancer, I had always assumed that cancer would be the leading cause of death in women. How wrong I was! Heart disease kills 18 more women than cancer does every year. I became involved in the charity thanks to a good friend, who raised my awareness. Thanks to her, our local community is passionately involved in not only increasing perception to this crucial health risk, but also in helping those already effected by the disease. Women are not only encouraged to wear red dresses, but skirts, shoes, sweaters and scarves. Gentlemen are implored to wear red ties, shirts and hats to help create an atmosphere of compassion for the women in their families.

The first Friday in February, the Red Dress day becomes an international event, garnering attention for this exceptional cause. First begun here in the United States, the project has spread to a dozen countries. Will I participate? I most certainly will. I own one red dress, and I plan on wearing it to a charity event this evening. Will I feel out of place? Absolutely not...this is the one evening each year I can shake off my charcoal gray-ness and know that my clothes will speak for something larger than myself. When we only look to our own comfort areas, it's very difficult to help make the world a better, more loving place. When we step outside those areas of black and white, we find there is a whole rainbow of color, just waiting for us to experience them.

Won't you join me in this endeavor?

Red Dress Day